Seasonal Training Materials

Below are especially relevant documents that will assist you in orienting yourself to the island and its history prior to the beginning of seasonal training. Reading all of the selections below before you begin training is not required, but strongly encouraged.

In addition to the materials below, the Trust for Governors Island has made many operational changes this year. You will need to be conversant in what is now a fairly complex assortment of operational schedules and policies. The Trust has not yet consolidated the full list of changes, but a great place to start is by perusing govislandblog.com entries since last fall.

You will need software capable of opening PDF documents to access these files. If you can't open them already, download Adobe Reader here.

1. Introduction to the National Park Service and Governors Island National Monument - read this first! This document contains an introduction and brief history of the National Park Service, an excerpt from the park's General Management Plan which details our mission and objectives as an organization, and brief site bulletins to acquaint you with the history of the two forts under our management.

2. Governors Island and Related History - a more thorough introduction to the history of the island. The paper by Larry Lowenthal that leads off this section will the basis of many of your programs, so it is wise to read it early and often. What follows is a diary of a soldier stationed on the island in 1846 and a collection of site bulletins written by the staff discussing several aspects of the island's history.

3. Introduction to Interpretation - a series of documents that describe your job: interpreting historic resources to the public. These will be supplemented by activities and discussions during the training period.

4. Introduction to Living History, Part One - the 19th century manual of arms and drill, as well as safety information.

5. Introduction to Living History, Part Two - the 18th century manual of arms and drill, as well as safety information.

6. Introduction to 19th-Century Artillery - descriptions of the equipment and drill used to load, fire, and maintain a 19th-century field gun.

7. Logistics and Safety - various standard operating procedures and documents that will assist you in performing your job safely and efficiently.